NASA Is Preparing A 17-Year-Old Girl To Become First Human To Reach Mars

Alyssa was three years old when she told her dad she wanted to be an astronaut, ‘and be one of the people who go to Mars’.

Alyssa Carson is a 17-year-old girl from Baton Rouge, Louisiana whom NASA is training to become an astronaut. Her dream is to be the first person on Mars and she’s aiming for the 2033 first human mission to Mars. And the girl certainly has everything she needs to get there. Being the first person to complete the NASA Passport Program by going to all 14 NASA Visitor Centers, Alyssa is also the youngest person to be accepted and graduate the Advanced Possum Academy, officially making her certified to go to space and an astronaut trainee. On top of astronaut training, she is also studying all of her school subjects in four languages (English, Chinese, French, and Spanish). “The biggest [challenge] is time and getting everything done at such a young age while also still attending high school. Continuing to train at a young age will also be further difficulties for me but I have done great with it so far.”

Despite her young age, Alyssa has been spreading her message to hundreds of thousands of followers across her social media accounts.

She’s also a public speaker, and speaks to young girls and boys all over America with the aim of drawing interest to space exploration.

She wants to encourage people to not give up on their ambitions.

“Always follow your dream and don’t let anyone take it from you,” she says.